by Atlas Kane
“I’ve never heard of anything like this,” Minda said quietly. “It’s almost as if they aren’t from Antinium. Why else wouldn’t they register as XP?”
Satemi shook her head, arms folded in concern. “I have no clue, but we better get moving before another pack comes along.”
Cade agreed, but told them to hold off a moment longer. He called out to Pablo, hoping that the little demon could fill them in on what exactly was happening in this god-forsaken world. The demon appeared as usual, his purple dragon scales shining in the sun.
“What is it, Caderick? How may I help?”
“Ever seen one of these?” Cade asked, pointing to one of the dead beasts.
The demon recoiled, fear registering in his eyes for the first time since Cade had met him. “No. I mean, I might have a suspicion, but nothing should have seen these monsters. They are of the abyss. They are void.”
“Thank you, Pablo, but could you explain what that means exactly?” Satemi said in a harsh whisper, still eyeing the trail behind them.
“The abyss is everything outside of creation itself. The shadow of the cosmos, if you will. These beasts are certainly not of Antinium. And the language is odd as well. Kargina Loor. It sounds archaic to be sure, perhaps an ancestor tongue…” Pablo trailed off, still ogling the creatures.
Cade sighed, impatience flaring. “Listen, buddy, we need to be going. They didn’t drop any loot or grant XP either, which is why we called you. Is there anything you can tell us?”
“Hmm… yes. Well the only way they could have come into this world is through the blasted portal. The only one who has access to that is Vormer. And his power is granted primarily through Aten. The meddlesome god will cause untold trouble if he continues to embolden that lion.”
Pablo puffed for a while then turned to Cade. “I am very sorry. This is not supposed to have happened, and I have very little data. I will ask around, try to find out what can be done. I am not surprised their kills did not grant any rewards. In the future, do not even try to loot these beasts. Who knows what they might yield should Antinium’s magic attempt to assign loot?”
The demon vanished shortly after, his silence the most concerning aspect of his little speech.
There was another hour or so until the sun fell, another half hour of dusk afterward. They all agreed that getting as far away from Tanrial as possible was best. So they once more began their journey toward the refuge they all hoped would prove safe enough.
Minda took the lead, and limping slightly, Cade followed behind, his mind churning over the implications of otherworld beasts showing up to attack them. If Vormer is behind this then I’d like to know how he managed to summon these beasts and how many more we can expect. If the douchebag could do so at will, what was stopping him from bringing more? Next time, gods forbid there be a next time, the three of them might not be strong enough to resist.
18
No Need for Elbow Room
The slope of the hill they were climbing soon broke into a level expanse, and Cade realized they were on a high bluff, the dense thickness of the jungle temporarily abated. The trees were less crowded, and fewer of the ferns and vines choked their path.
Trusting their fearless guide, Cade and Satemi loped behind, all three moving at a swift jog. In the short time they traveled before the light of day disappeared entirely, the group managed to cover at least a few more miles. The bluff gave way to gentle hills that rose and fell predictably, and Cade wondered what this land would look like from above. Scanning the mountains beyond, he could see that they would soon have that pleasure, though not until the following day.
As Minda began ascending yet another rise, a distant rustling noise drew Cade’s attention, like foliage being disturbed far away. He stopped and listened, worried it might be yet another pack of abyss cats. A moment later and he heard it again.
“Minda, hold up,” he said, but the woman was already frozen in her tracks, ears perking up.
Then they all heard it, and it was growing louder. Cade looked behind them and noticed the top of a distant tree shudder. His eyes went wide. Whatever that thing was, it certainly wasn’t small.
“Cover,” he hissed. “We need to find cover!”
Minda spotted a thicket nearby, dense and concealing. The three travelers dove in and retreated as far as they could, hoping whatever was approaching hadn’t already seen or smelled them.
It came in view only a few moments later, massive, hairy and pissed off: the Kotani Ma.
The jungle’s champion trampled anything in its path, so dense and heavy that it smashed through bamboo cane without pausing. It ran toward them in a straight line, and Cade was sure they would all die very soon.
There’s no way we can fight that thing, he thought. Looking at the women tucked into the foliage beside him, he swore he’d give his life for theirs. Eating a Chimera Lord might be enough for a badass like that. Worth trying at least.
They waited, watching the bulky ape rumble toward them. The Kotani Ma came within fifty feet and then stopped. The beast turned toward the steep slope that fell into the valley below, preparing to race down and away.
Yet it hesitated. Its curved horns rose above its head and pointed in toward one another like pincers. The beast’s forehead was flat and wide, and two ancient-looking eyes glared below an armored brow. It didn’t have the heavy lips of a gorilla, but a thin, pressed mouth.
The ape’s huge nostrils flared as it pulled in gouts of air, and then its mouth hung open and loose revealing teeth longer than his hand.
Shit, its gonna sniff us out! Cade worried, and he looked to Minda who had moved slightly. In her hand was a mixture of herbs. Some were long, waxy leaves the color of bananas. Another was a sprig of twisting vines, and the last a few shoots of bright green grass.
Minda rubbed them between her hands and blew gently, careful not to make a noise. An intense aroma rose from the concoction, and though it smelled pleasant, Cade felt the urge to sneeze.
He pinched his nose hard and closed his eyes. I will not get us all killed because of a god damned sniffle, he promised. He waited for the sensation to fade, his nose itching terribly. The sound of the ape’s lungs was all he heard. It was a terrifying noise, enough to make him want to run screaming. Something with lungs that large was too dangerous to play with.
As the urge to sneeze passed, he looked up and saw the beast give in.
In a feat of incredible power, the Kotani Ma launched itself into the air. A full two seconds passed until its bulk hit the ground, and they heard it rumbling away, far away from their position.
Cade sighed, relaxing a bit and indulging by rubbing his nose at length.
When they emerged, they saw the fleeting figure of the monster as it tore its way over yet another slope nearly a mile away already.
Though they’d grown complacent before, fatigue and the mundane pace dulling their caution, Minda set a more careful pace for the rest of the trip. They marched over a few more hills, the terrain growing ever more arid, the lush jungle retreating below.
At last, Minda found a tree that grew low and sprawling. It looked like an oak if it had smoother skin. And its leaves too, differed, thankfully not covered in the tiny spines that oak leaves have. Instead, the tree’s foliage had wide, hand-sized leaves that had a smooth patch of velvet on one side. Ideal TP, Cade thought, and tore off a dozen to put in his storage.
Minda, seeing his reaction, confirmed his suspicion. “Imenda told us about these. They are not so common, but whenever someone finds one, they gather as many leaves as possible. Everyone likes a clean asshole, Cade, so gather as much as you like. I certainly will.”
The frankness with which she discussed the baser needs of having a body was refreshing. So many men and women were stuck up, embarrassed, or downright ashamed of their necessary functions. A few years in the service will fix all of that up nicely. Did for me, Cade mused, remembering the morning battalion runs he would have to endure. A few hundred men all
jogging in formation, same speed, same trail, and half of them hungover. The runs weren’t usually very fast or challenging, but after jogging in place for ninety minutes, bowels began to get snarky. The sight of men sprinting off into the woods to either side of the road, their platoon leaders shaking their heads but pinching their own shits off in dismay, was common enough.
Minda fell at once to assembling a temporary shelter for the night. The bottom of the tree’s boughs were about four feet off the ground, and its canopy was so thick they could probably hold off a rain storm. Minda still draped a skin over the ground, however, to keep off insects or anything that might fall out of the tree no doubt. Cade appreciated how thorough she was, and he watched for a few moments as the woman worked. Her firm thighs and perky ass squirming around as she went through the motions made him smile.
“You could stare at Minda and daydream about how tight she was or what her hair smelled like warmed in the sun, or you could be useful. A leader might choose the latter,” Satemi said before walking into the woods nearby. Her tone wasn’t spiteful, but the mild rebuke was well received. They didn’t have time for playing grab ass, as much as he wanted to.
So while Minda worked, Cade busied himself by preparing some sort of a dinner. He brought out some Cobalt Plantains, the last of his stock but for one left. He hoped Minda could use her magic to grow them a tree when they got to their new home. Setting the fruit in a pile next to a waterskin, Cade looked around, scanning the plants nearby to see if there was anything else to eat. He didn’t find a thing, but saw a few tracks nearby that concerned him.
Hoof marks, splayed and deeply imprinted, the tracks were of a plant-eating animal most likely. He thought they might be the tracks of a pig or goat. What concerned him was their size. The beast who made them must have weighed at least four or five hundred pounds, perhaps more.
He walked back to report his finding and found the shelter finished and the two girls seated where he’d left the food. Satemi had found a few handfuls of Chishki Seeds, a tough-skinned food that tasted like walnuts when you managed to tear the husk away. It wasn’t a big last meal to the day, but they had filled up on meat after their last fight. Eating anything but fruit near where they planned to camp was foolish though. They ate, relishing the food as much as the silence.
Up here on the bluff, the sound of the jungle was muted, not so pervasive. It was a nice change to say the least.
Though neither Minda nor Cade expected a retelling of what had unfolded the day before, especially so soon, Satemi must have had a need to do so. She cleared her throat and answered many of their unspoken questions. “We were preparing for your return, and to leave the next day. Most of the villagers were making new cordage, something that takes time but little effort, and the day was made more pleasant by a few drinks. Crian sang a few songs as well, and Imenda laughed. I could see she was pleased that so many of those who fled were still alive, still willing to follow her and find a new place to live farther away from the city.”
She took another drink of water from the skin and handed it to Cade. The purple hues of dusk fell around them as Satemi spoke, her mask emotionless and stolid, making the telling all the more chilling. “I offered to stand guard, feeling someone ought to. I also wanted to be the first to greet you both. So I went on a short patrol through the forest around the village. I wasn’t more than a hundred feet away when I heard the first cries. I don’t know whose voice it was, but I knew at once something was very wrong.
“I sprinted back, swords in hand, and found the village writhing with those nightmare beasts. Half the villagers were already dead, the rest had found weapons and were fighting tooth and nail. I burst into their midst, killing several quickly. They hadn’t been expecting a counter attack, and my blades cut them down. But by the time I’d made it to Imenda’s side, every villager had been stung or slashed open. Imenda fought with her mask on, a simple dagger in her hand. The mask can do more than link minds. It can force almost any foe to back down, to become so filled with fear and hopelessness, that the battle will be won before it truly starts.”
Her voice cut off, hands quivering in her lap. Cade wanted to reach out and hold her, but now was not the time. Instead, he waited patiently, thinking to himself, that must be why Vormer wanted the villagers so badly. That mask could do him more service than any number of his faceless guards.
At last, Satemi found the courage to continue. “It had no effect on the beasts. None. It was as if the mask had no power. And though I killed the last of the beasts, coming through the battle completely unharmed, Imenda was laid open by one of the cats. She died in my arms shortly after. And as sweet and wise as she always was, she told me only to carry the mask, protect all who survive, and to forgive myself. I will do at least two of those things, but the third is more than I can manage, I think.”
Minda did what Cade felt forbidden to do. She charged into the taller woman’s arms, crushing her in a fierce hug. Cade could see that Satemi had the urge to push her away, but Minda so undeniably assaulted her with affection, she eventually gave in, returning the embrace. Their shoulders shuddered rhythmically, silently weeping for those who’d given their lives to further and improve their own.
Cade found his own eyes watering again. Though he hadn’t known them, it was what they represented that struck him. Hearing stories of the soldiers who had the misfortune of fighting in Vietnam, of being forced to kill a village of innocents for the sake of a few hidden VC would be enough to destroy any man’s heart.
Yet even in the more mild Iraq war, abusing small folk was an everyday occurrence. He couldn’t count how many dressers he’d tipped over and shattered to bits, taking the few belongings left to a family and destroying them heedlessly. It was shameful to think back upon, shameful that he’d been one of the invaders like the axemen in Satemi’s memory.
A few moments passed, then Satemi pushed Minda away, nodding to herself. “It’s time we sleep then.”
Cade disposed of the seed husks and fruit peel a few hundred feet away, and crawled into the low tent with the women.
The orientation and negotiation involved in arranging three adults in a single tiny tent was enough to make them cease their efforts and fall into a hushed laughter. Something about the falling dark made any sort of raucous expression feel too bold for comfort.
Minda took the situation in hand. “You are the biggest, Cade. Back against the tree. And no wiggling once you’re there. Then Satemi, smash that big, round ass of yours against Cade so I can curl out in both of your arms. Any arguments?”
“None,” Cade said, moving over Satemi as she lay flat to give him space. He pressed against the tree trunk as he’d been told, and lifted his arm up to accommodate Satemi. The woman was nearly as tall as he was and her shoulders were lean and sculpted. Yet when she brushed against him, Cade could only focus on the soft curve of her ass brushing against his crotch.
With a growl, Minda ordered them closer. “I’m almost about to fall out of the side of the tent. Get snug, you two!” she hissed. Cade helped pull Satemi closer, his hand touching the firm expanse of her stomach. The soft ripples of her abs fascinated him as she wormed into place, her butt grinding into him gently.
Then Minda found her place, and they all settled down.
Cade fought it, he truly did, but it wasn’t just the feel of the women so close, Satemi’s warmth suffusing him, the sleek arch of her hip. It was also the way they smelled.
They’d been traveling for days, sweat and grime abounded, and Cade felt embarrassed about his own likely stench. But the women’s musk enticed him. It reminded him that he was but an animal, one with a body, one that sought the company of others for such moments like this.
He pushed back into the tree, trying his best to avoid the inevitable, thought even of reaching down and diverting his manhood to avoid embarrassing himself or Satemi. Sensing his discomfort, the woman surprised him. She reached around between them, found the crease of his belt, and slipped her han
d beneath his trousers.
Her fingers were strong but smooth as they traced the length of his cock. He gasped, a shiver of arousal flushing through his body. Then she gripped him by the base of his dick, squeezing and holding it for a moment. He felt himself expand in her grip, throbbing while he tried to keep his breathing under control.
And as quickly as she’d done so, Satemi removed her hand, shoved her soft ass against his cock, and laughed. It was a deep-throated and sultry sound that filled the tent. “You are right, Minda. Our Cade has a very nice cock. Perhaps… when we find our new home, and when it feels safe again, I will let you have me.”
Minda giggled to herself, her purr growing louder, vibrating the skin above them. “I promise not to be jealous. But only under one condition.”
Satemi remained silent, so at last, Cade asked, “What is that?”
“I must be able to watch. And you, Cade, must be strong enough to go again when you two are done.”
Cade felt like his head might explode. Never in his life had he been so pained and so happy to have his cock teased. His hard-on didn’t go away, but at least the woman eventually stopped adjusting her position. Each time she’d done so had sent a wave of sensation through his groin.
As he finally became accustomed to all of the painfully pleasant stimulus around him, his mind began to work once again. He thought of how much his life had changed. No longer was Cade the defeated man, grown idle and numb with beer and constant bouts of depression. And he doubted this would be the end of it either.
One couldn’t truly heal so quickly.
His thoughts returned to the fight they’d survived that day, to the women who had helped him survive.
“Hey, you two up still?” he asked in a whisper.
Two different voices said mhmm at the same time, and then all three of them laughed quietly.
“Sorry. I know we need rest. But today was something else. We literally put our backs to one another. You both risked your lives to save mine. I will not forget it.” As Cade finished, he was aware his voice had grown husky with emotion.